Most people, not all, on this forum have suggested that going guard or reserve is the best way to go these days, but what if the guard unit that you are interested in has just been named as the home for a predator squadron?

I’m also aware of the recent announcement that the USAF will send TRIPLE DIGIT SUPT grads to UAVs starting 2009.

I guess my question is facing these numbers and situations, does it then really mater which route you take?

Also if you do get assigned to a predator squad or duty/ non flying duties, how long are those tours before you switch back to your originally qualified airframe?

Any insight of course is greatly appreciated.

 

What announcement was that?

 

http://www.airlinepilotforums.com/mi...r-pilot-4.html

read the thread by "Buzz"

 

The triple digit number of UAV assignments is still a bit premature. Our OG briefed us the word is still not official and they still don't know how UAV training will be conducted. Will it be a different school? Will it be Phase 1 and 2 of the current program and then a UAV track? No one knows for sure. As of now, there are no UAV assignments.

Going to a Guard UAV outfit may not be a bad deal. We have two guys going through now for ANG UAV assignments. They are getting full UPT, one to T-1s and one to T-38s. This creates a universally assignable ANG asset. Who knows what the future may bring? The unit may change aircraft and get human piloted aircraft back, or the individual may decide to pursue a job in another unit. Having had full UPT and a set of silver wings on their chests may be good things.

It won't help you get an airline job, so you will have to CFI it, get a regional job (if they are hiring), or work to find a corporate gig (with that T-1/Beechjet or C-12s from Corpus type rating).

Good luck.

 

An entry in an internet forum isn't exactly something you want to make career choices off of.

Only guidance I can give you on active duty side--no matter what things are like right now, the only guarentee you have is that it'll be different by the time you get there.

I do have trouble seeing guard UAV units switching to manned platforms, I just don't see that one getting undone. However, once you got wings and are already in guard--you don't always have to dance with the one that brought you. Met plenty of guys who've switched units/airframes for one reason or another.

Good luck

 

I talked with an O-6 at RND about this, and it does appear the UAV draft is coming soon. It was supposed to start in the next drop coming down in a week or two, but last word is that it is probably on hold for a bit. What is worrying about the delay is the unanswered question of will they back fill the UVAs by selecting perhaps several studs per drop once they start the draft to make up for the delay in starting.

As for the training track, the AF wants to go the route of selecting people who could not qualify for pilot training, getting them their civilian ratings so they can fly in the NAS, then training them on the UAVs themselves. The problem right now is, per AF regs, they can't take these people who can't medically qualilfy for flying duty even though this won't involve actual flying. They are working to resolve this issuse, but as with everything governmental, it is a huge bureaucratic process and will take a while. Til then, GEN Mosley's order stands, and winged pilots will be filling the UAVs.

 

In the April revision of the T-38 SUPT syllabus, they did add a bomber/ISR track...

It's not much of a stretch to guess what falls under that title.

 

Obviously it would be better to get a guard unit without that hanging over their heads, but worst case...military wings and networking will be a plus for your career. At this point I'd take anything that gets you into UPT...I think you still have a good chance of flying manned airplanes one way or another. Might be different in a few years, though.

I would not volunteer for a hypothetical UAV-only training program, ie any program which does not yield military pilot wings and an FAA commercial ticket. Unless you enjoy flying model airplanes...

 

Here is the latest from the AFA Pravda Daily report on what the leadership is saying about where UAV pilots will come from.


airforce-magazine.com Homepage

Monday July 28, 2008
Rethinking UAV Operations: Gen. Norton Schwartz, nominee to be the next Air Force Chief of Staff, said last week he would “quickly” make a decision whether the Air Force will continue its policy that pilots of unmanned aerial vehicles—the larger sized platforms that perform at medium and high altitudes and carry weapons—must be rated officers. “It may well be that a blend of rated and non-rated operators makes the most sense,” he told members of the Senate Armed Services Committee in the written responses to the panel’s advance questions for his July 22 confirmation hearing. The Air Force has both non-rated and rated personnel flying its diverse family of UAVs, depending on the platform. Small-sized UAVs that operate at the local level are flown by non-rated airmen. However, USAF’s stance to date has been that larger multi-mission, theater-level UAVs, such as the MQ-1 Predator and MQ-9 Reaper, are complex systems that often involve real-time command and control and time-sensitive decision-making for the delivery of ordnance under demanding battlefield conditions. “Qualified rated pilots generally have the training and experience that is crucial to the success of this effort,” Schwartz said. Further, aircraft like the Predator, Reaper, and RQ-4 Global Hawk fly in and through airspace that requires positive control of the assets based on FAA and ICAO rules. Those rules require an instrument-qualified pilot, Schwartz noted, adding that he would assess the arguments before rendering his choice. USAF has cited the availability of trained pilots as a limiting factor in accelerating the fielding of UAV assets. That said, it is still surging additional assets to support operations in Afghanistan and Iraq.

 

If they are going to stick you in a UAV, the least they could do is knock that 10 year commitment down!